Avatar Ming
by alexwonderswhy
Summary: A continuation of the Avatar Cycle. A story of the next avatar following Avatar Korra's legacy. There's some characters from Avatar Aang and Korra's worlds that overlap as well as new characters. It's what I imagined the newest Avatar's story to be like.
1. Chapter 1

**THE FARM HAND**

 _Downtown Capital City_

"Ming… Ming. MING?! Are you even listening to a thing I'm saying?!" Kyra huffed, watching Ming fumble through the city streets beside her.

"Uh… Sorry Kyra. I get so distracted whenever we come to Republic City. There's so much to see, so much to—"

" _EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! THE ELDERS HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT THE NEW AVATAR WILL BE REVEALED IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS! FIND OUT WHO IT'LL BE!"_

Kyra squealed as she approached the paper boy, flinging a few yuans and snatching the paper from his hands. "Can you believe the new avatar is from the Earth Kingdom?! Incredible! It could be me for all we know! I already know how to fire bend!"

Ming side-eyed Kyra while dodging an old man driving a truck full of cabbages, "Okay… But how did you learn how to fire bend before earth bending?"

Kira flung her face, tippy toeing herself as much she could to get to Ming's eye level. "What are you getting at Ming?" she bellowed in her most intimidating voice.

Ming started to debate where this _was_ going. This wasn't their first go-around and Kyra, being Kyra, wasn't going to back down from a fight. Ming rubbed the back of his neck, beginning to get anxious. The last time he tried to bring up the fact that Ming can fire bend but can't earth bend, Kyra was fire bending smoke from her nostrils. "Forget it, Ming. I hope you are the avatar. I couldn't think of a braver and nobler bender."

Kyra stood her ground, analyzing his expression. For all the time she's known Ming, he was sometimes very guarded and extremely shy. However, they grew up in the same village together all their lives and she knew Ming better than Ming knew himself sometimes. "You're lying to me Ming, but I'll let it slide since you'll be buying me the jewelry box I need!"

Ming let out a low and sturdy laugh, causing him to stop and throw his head back in amusement.

" _Hey, watch it village boy! I'm walkin' here!"_

"Oh sorry, sir. I was just—" Kyra began giggling, relishing how easily Ming gets flustered. It surprises her, every time they leave Farming Village, how quick Ming becomes quiet and shy. In the sea of people bustling through Downtown Republic City, Ming towered over the crowd. From all the earth bending and farming he does with his father and brother in the village, he was not too shabby looking. From the scrawny shy boy she once grew up with, he now had a strong frame, chiseled cheek bones and a wide-set jaw, defined broad shoulders, and arms big enough to— "Woah, keep it together girl."

"Huh? What did you say?" Ming looked down at her with a quizzical look. Sometimes she savored the fact that he was so tall, he didn't always hear her.

"Nothing, block head. Lead the way to the Lotus Tea shop please!"

Ming rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, "As you wish fire tosser." And they disappeared into the crowd.

 _Road to Farming Village_

Under her conical straw hat, Kyra watched as Ming walked their reinhorses to rest by the river. She held her breath as he took off his shirt and took a dive into the water. "Come on in Kyra!" Kyra just waved and sunk deeper as she lay resting against a tree. "I like it better here, thanks though!" _The view is a loooooot better from where I'm sitting, trust me._ Kyra shook her head as soon as the thought made its way across her mind. Who was she? A school girl? Ming has known Kyra all of their lives, if he had the same feelings for her as she for him, something would've happened by now. Right?

"STOP!" Ming ran out of the river, bending nearby boulders and flinging them right past Kyra as if they were mere pebbles.

"Hey, watch it! You could've killed me! Why are you freaking ou—" Kyra whipped her head around the tree to see the target of Ming's bending. "Thief! STOP!" Kyra jumped up and ran with Ming after the thief. Kyra crouched down, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in. When she opened her eyes, she threw out a ring of fire that quickly engulfed the thief, causing him to halt, mid-step. A technique she frequently used in the village when helping the farmers to clear up their land for new crops to plant.

Before turning around, the thief took his scarf from around his neck and pulled it over his head, covering his mouth and nose leaving his glowing blue eyes exposed. He turned around to survey the extent of the flames, quickly realizing he had no means of escaping without seriously injuring himself. "Touché. Well played, my friends. How's about I sell you this lovely sack of whatever I'm holding in exchange for keeping my money-maker free of any fire scars?"

"Just give us our water and food back. We have a long journey back and no money left. We will starve. Please." Ming pleaded with the thief while Kyra maintained the flames, tall enough for the thief to think twice before trying to jump through or over them.

Through the flames, Kyra saw the thief look through the bag confirming that their food and water were the only valuable contents in their sacks. "Only food? Garbage! I thought there was something here I could sell! Nothing worth fighting two benders over." The thief threw the bag over the flames, landing by Kyra's feet.

"I have half a mind to roast him and serve him with moon peaches and lychee nuts." Kyra snorted as she began to change her stance to do such a thing.

"No Kyra. He gave us the food back. He doesn't want to fight. It's clear he can't bend. We need to let him go."

"What?! He'll just come back later and steal the stuff that is sellable! We just can't—" Ming put his arm on Kyra's shoulder, startling her. In her rage against the thief, she didn't notice Ming was right next to her. Looking into his big, brown eyes, she knew he'd never forgive her if she didn't let the low-life go. Kyra let out a sigh and broke her stance, causing the robust flames to fall into small embers by the thief's feet.

"You guys owe me one!" the thief shouted as he burst into a sprint and fled into the woods.

"Thank you." Ming said looking down at Kyra. "You would not have been happy had you done with him what you wanted."

"You're right. He would've been tastier with berries and mangos."

Ming shook his head and laughed. Pulling Kyra into a platypus bear hug and engulfing Kyra in his warm body and hard chest. Kyra let out a sigh of content, _I can just live here forever_. "You okay Kyra?"

"Would be better if you'd let me breathe block head." She said, pushing him off her.

 _Farming Village_

"Ming! Come quickly! You too, Ky! We have very honorable guests waiting to speak to you!" Ming's father shouted from the door of their home. Ming and Kyra had just arrived to the village and were exhausted, hungry, and dirty from their ride back. The poor reinhorses were struggling to walk up the path to their homes.

"Can I first—"

"NO! In here. Now!" Ming's father shouted, interrupting Ming's plea to bathe and rest. Ming and Kyra shuffled their feet slowly through the front doors to see a group of older men and women quietly sipping tea in the tiny parlor of his home. The parlor was nearly packed with the amount of people present and the small amount of room available. "Ming, show respect to these elders. They have wonderful news to tell you!"

Kyra immediately realized the gravity of the situation and slowly turned her head to Ming, watching him visibly gulp in fear and anxiety. "Ming… Do you want me to…"

"Yes, please stay." Ming said in a low, nearly silent voice.

The eldest of the group, a man dressed in elaborate shades of green with gold trimmings obviously from the wealthier part of the Earth Kingdom, stood up to speak. "Have a seat Ming. For what we are about to tell you will be a shock to you."

Ming stood there. Not registering a word. Kyra softly took his hand and pulled him to the floor with her. She watched him fumble onto one of the shabby mats available to sit and his huge frame hunched over as if all the air had been punched out of him.

The eldest man, observing that Ming was visibly shaken, continued on, "Ming, you are 18 years old, now. Since Avatar Korra, the co-existence of the spiritual world and our physical world has brought us many years of peace and joy. Under the guidance of the Order of the White Lotus, we chose to follow tradition and wait until your 18th birthday to tell you that… Well…" The old man looked around the room as if to find some help in announcing it, "To tell you that you, Ming, are the next Avatar."

The room felt heavy and the air was suddenly thicker, making it harder to breathe. Ming leaned forward, resting his hands on his legs, "How? Don't I have to take a test or something? I didn't even sign up for anything like this. I don't want this. I'm happy being a farmer's hand."

A woman began to speak, dressed in Fire Nation nobility clothing, "You're right and wrong. Back in Avatar Aang's era, the monks presented each new born a set of toys to choose from. The child would be presented numerous toys; however, the reincarnation of the Avatar would choose the four relics familiar to them as a result of their past lives. These relics would move from one nation to the next to ensure that the relics would be available to each nation. However, when the fire nation attacked the Air Temples, they destroyed those relics to ensure that the next Avatar would never be found. However, the Order of the White Lotus has heavily documented the ways and methods of finding the next Avatar. As a result, they were able to recreate those relics so that the next Avatar would recognize them and select them at birth. You, Avatar Ming, selected those very four relics the previous Avatars did when you were old enough to walk."

A third woman spoke up, "We knew from the Avatar's cycle that the next Avatar would be an earth bender from the Earth Kingdom. You, my dear, are him."

Ming blankly stared at the floor. Some time went by before anyone said another word.

Kyra watched him and saw turmoil boil within his heart. She put a hand softly to his arm and asked, "How do you know it's Ming? He only knows how to earth bend."

The eldest man who spoke earlier turned to face Ming, "Boy, have you been having weird visions or dreams lately? Have you spoken to any of the Avatars from your past lives?"

Ming shot his head up. "One time, I thought I— Well… I don't know… It was just a dream."

The eldest man grew impatient, "Tell us about this dream."

Ming looked over to his mother and father who were standing at the door of their kitchen as there was no room in the living room for everyone to sit comfortably. His mother was silently crying— tears of joy? Sadness? "I had a dream. It was, I think it was Avatar Korra. I don't know… We were sitting outside, in my dad's farm, and she asked me if I was ready."

"Ready for what?" asked another elder.

Ming turned to look the man in the eyes, "She told me that she made a mistake during her time in the physical world and I needed to fix it before it was too late. She told me that I had something important to do for her but I wouldn't be able to until I learned to deal with a great loss."

The elders started murmuring excitedly to one another, analyzing the possible meaning of his dream. "Quiet!" the eldest man shouted. "Clearly Avatar Korra, his most recent reincarnation, was reaching out to tell him he must reach his full Avatar potential. She is warning you of something bad to come soon, Avatar Ming. You must quickly master the elements if we are to maintain the peace of our world."

Ming's father walked into the living room and threw his hands up, "Wait a minute, hold on just a second. You're telling me you got all of this from a two-sentence description of a dream? Like Ming said, it was just a dream. He wasn't even sure if it was Avatar Korra."

Another elder man interrupted his father's stream of consciousness, "It is quite common for the previous Avatars to appear in dreams or what would appear as visions to warn their current selves of an impending doom or danger. This is to ensure that the Avatar cycle will not be broken. We cannot take this lightly. We must take him to Air Temple Island to help him master the elements. Air Temple Island is safe and it will allow Ming to learn of his role as a liaison between the spiritual and physical world."

"Plus, he'll need to meet with his publicist, stylist, and manager who are all waiting for him in Republic City." Added one of the women.

"His what?" Spouted Ming's mother.

The elder woman turned around to face Ming's mother, "Yes, the Avatar is a celebrity among the people! He will need a team to help ensure he maintains a good rapport with the public so that the Avatar is able to carry authority in political discussions among the nations and to be taken seriously in peace-keeping talks among the nations' leaders. He will be useful in some matters of peacekeeping such as fixing a broken road or cutting a few ribbons at a few events."

Ming jumped up, "Excuse me." He took two long strides and was quickly out the door.

"Where is he going?" Shouted his father.

"I know where. I'll get him." Kyra said as she quickly bowed out of the room.

"Quickly girl! Avatar Korra anticipates danger and we must get him ready. And soon!" Shouted the eldest man as Kyra sprinted out the door.

…..

Kyra finally reached Ming, frantically panting. "I knew you'd be here." Ming slowly turned his head to see who it was and turned back around. He was sitting on the top of a small mountainside, overlooking their entire village. If it weren't for the context of the situation, Kyra would have laughed. He hugged his legs to his chest the same way he did when he was a little boy when he ran away from the other kids who liked to tease and taunt him. Kyra found a spot next to him and sprawled her legs out in front of her. "Ming. Tell me what you really wanted to say about the dream."

Ming picked his chin up from his knees and looked at Kyra in shock. He let out a sigh, "How am I surprised that you can tell these things." Kyra just shrugged her shoulders and intensely watched Ming as he was figuring out the next words to string together. "It was Avatar Korra— I mean, she was in my dreams. I know it was her. But it felt like… I don't know. We knew each other. I wasn't scared. I wasn't intimidated. It was like, old friends seeing each other after a long period of time." Ming paused to look at Kyra who was still locked in on him, patiently waiting- as she always did. Ming began rubbing the back of his neck, "But… Korra told me that I'm going to be dealt a great loss. A loss that, if I don't learn to overcome, I might never become a fully realized Avatar."

Kyra let out a deep sigh. "That sounds serious."

"Yeah."

"Well, did she say what you would lose?"

"She said it will be the greatest loss I will ever know."

"Creepy…"

Ming looked down at her and couldn't help but crack a smile. "What do you think she means?"

Kyra looked up at him, "Honestly, I have no clue. It sounds like, before you can help her, you have to help yourself? It just sounds all so mysterious."

"I know. I've been having the dream every-so-often and the dreams become more and more clear. Like, with each dream I can see a detail that I didn't see before like the features of Korra's face, notice the infliction of her voice, and a bunch of other details. I just— I don't know Ky." Ming brought his legs down and turned to her, "What should I do?"

Kyra's jaw dropped in shock, "Me? Tell you?"

"Yeah you. Who else? Tell me what to do?"

"What did Avatar Korra tell you to do?"

"She wants me to 'right a wrong.' Whatever that means."

"Well… Do you want to do it?"

"I'm content being a farm hand for my dad!" Ming stood up frustrated, pacing back and forth.

Kyra turned around to watch him. "If the Avatar came to me in multiple dreams to ask for my help, I'd do whatever it takes to help her. Avatar Korra says she needs _your_ help, not somebody else's help. She's been trying to reach _you_ not me, not your parents, not anybody else. _You._ "

"Why, though? Why me?"

Kyra sat there, watching Ming as he continued to frantically pace back and forth. "I don't know why. But don't you think if you went to Air Temple Island, you might be a step closer to finding out the answer? Heck, you may find out that you're not the Avatar and all she needed you to do was to turn off her stove or something that she left on before leaving the physical world!"

Ming stopped pacing and looked at her, causing Kyra to start laughing. "This isn't funny Ky!" Seriously! The stove?!" Which prompted Kyra's laughter to bellow even louder. Ming dropped his head, trying to hide his own smile. "Come with me?"

Kyra stopped laughing. "Back to your house? You know, they're all still waiting for you there."

"No." Ming picked his head up to look into Kyra's eyes, "Please come with me to Air Temple Island."

Kyra's heart jumped to her throat. Her mouth went dry. Her mind, for once, went blank.

"Don't answer now. I know it's a lot to ask. You'll have to leave your family for I don't know how long, but… Think about it. I can go for weeks, months, without my family. I just never spent a day without you."

For once in her entire life, Kyra was speechless.

"Ky! Please don't look so sad. I know it's a lot to ask of you."

"I'll go. There's nothing here holding me back."

"REALLY?!"

Kyra watched as Ming could hardly contain his joy. "Didn't you hear me the first time block head?"


	2. Chapter 2

**The Make-Over**

 _Air Temple Island_

"NOOOO! NO. No. Absolutely not!" Shouted Tai in frustration as we walked around Ming, studying and surveying his task before him. "When you told me I had a country boy, I thought to myself, 'I can work with country, just slap him into a suit and voila!' But this? THIS? No way! Can't do it. Not doing it!" Tai was still poking around Ming, prodding his clothes, hair, feet, and shoes. "He'll need an entire makeover!"

"Hey! I really can't be that bad!" Ming pouted as Tai continued to inspect Ming.

Kyra was laughing to the side, enjoying the scene between Ming and Tai, as all the other air bending children were laughing as well. "I don't know, Ming. When was the last time you fixed your hair? Or sat down to have your nails and toes trimmed?"

Ming threw a pout at Kyra's direction, causing herself and the children to laugh even harder. "That's enough Tai. His training is what's really important. Give the poor kid some space." Kai said as he approached the scene with a younger woman by his side. He walked up to Ming and threw his hands out, "Remember me?" He said grinning sheepishly from ear to ear.

Ming turned to look at Kai, eyeing him up and down. "Um… Should I? I was told I'm supposed to meet my manager and publicist too? Is it going to be as bad as…" Ming put one hand to the right side of his face so that Tai could not see his lips moving, "As this guy?"

"Hey! 'This guy' can hear you!" Tai shouted as he lifted Ming's shirt, "Hm… I can definitely work with this. Maybe a makeover won't be so bad."

Kai took a step closer to Ming, "Are you sure you don't remember me? I'm not really sure how this whole Avatar thing works the but first time you saw me, I was a little pipsqueak with really sticky fingers. You saved me, in more ways than one!"

"When you were little? But you're a lot older than m—"

Kai shook his head, interrupting Ming before he put his foot any further into his mouth, "Hey, I'm not old! I'm still as handsome as the day you, er— I guess the past you, first found me! Well, it doesn't matter any way. I guess the elders would consider me your 'manager' but I'm really more of your teacher. I'll be your air bending master. Jinora!" Kai looked around. Although a young woman was standing next to him, he was looking for someone else. "Ah, well, when Jinora gets here, I'd like you to meet her. She'll be your spiritual master. Not only do you need to master all the elements, but you need to be familiar with traveling between the spiritual and physical world."

"Welcome to Air Temple Island." The younger woman said and reached her hand out to Ming. Ming, distracted from Tai's thorough inspection, had not noticed her yet. He began to reach out his hand and found himself lost into her beautiful brown eyes. _Wow_. He could melt in those eyes. Her beautiful, long black hair fell down her tan shoulders. She was wearing a bright red top with her shoulders exposed and her bod—

"Hi, I'm Kyra. You can call me Ky." Kyra said shaking the woman's hand who was still hanging in the air while Ming gawked at her. Kyra threw a look at Ming, causing him to snap out of it.

Ming cleared his throat and made his voice much deeper than usual, "Hey. Ming. Nice to meet you."

The woman giggled and turned to Kyra, "Well Ky, please call me Akari."

"Nice to meet you Akari!" Kyra said smiling at her while watching Ming embarrass himself. She had never seen him like this before.

"Well I guess I'm the publicist?" Akari said turning to Kai who nodded in agreement. "I'm supposed to stick with you guys when you're out in public and make sure you don't do anything to negatively affect the Avatar's image or name. That would be you, I'm guessing?" Akari said playfully pointing at Ming. All Ming could muster was a slow nod as he looked on with large puppy dog eyes. "Have you ever traveled before Avatar Ming?" Ming slowly turned his head from left to right, causing Akari to giggle. "I'll take that as a 'no.' Don't worry, we'll do some traveling, get your name and face out there. I'll book some events for you and get us going once you're well into your training. I'm pretty familiar with the cultures and customs from pretty much everywhere."

Kai threw an arm around Akari's shoulders, "You're well in good hands but I can see you know that already, Avatar Ming." Ming's face turned a bright red. He snapped his back straight and tried to display whatever composure he had left.

"Look! Look at these nails!" Tai whined as he lifted Ming's hands. "A disaster!"

"Quit your whining Tai! Come with me Avatar Ming. I want to show the place to you. It's actually pretty cool. It's where I spent many of times practicing like the little air bending brat that I was." Kai said leading Ming up a set of stairs.

"What am I supposed to do?" Kyra said, trying to hide her disappointment that she wouldn't be allowed to see the tour.

Kai began to look around, "Well, there's not much to do right now. All the monks have done their chores and tasks for today. Did you want to meditate? Maybe you can—"

"How about you can come with me to Republic City? I can't stick with you because I have a lot of work to do booking Avatar Ming for events, but you can come along for the ride!" Akari said understanding Kyra's disappointment.

"I'd like that, thank you."

"Well, it's all settled! We'll see you ladies later tonight for dinner, the Council Members and President Mai Li have a huge party planned for us!" Kai shouted waving at Akari and Kyra.

…..

"All these guys were you in a past life, Ming."

Ming followed Kai into a dark room filled with hundreds of statutes. "These guys were all me?"

"That's what they told me when I got the same tour." Kai said, trying to make light that this poor kid's life has just turned upside down within the past 48 hours.

One of the monks stood by the door and motioned for Kai. "Hang tight, Ming, I'll be back in a few."

Ming walked in between the statutes, stopping at the ones he recognized learning about in school. He finally made it to the statutes of Aang and Korra, the most recent additions to the room. He stood in front of Avatar Korra. He wished she were alive, maybe then he'd understand what she wanted from him. "I don't want to be here, you know that. To be honest, I just want to know what this 'great loss' you keep talking about is. Is it my parents? Is it that I lose my bending? I don't want to fight. I don't want to be the Avatar. I loved my simple life. Now you have me here with a stylist and publicist?"

Ming stared at Avatar Korra's statute. Nothing. Well, what did he expect? The statute to talk back?

"Ugh. I give up. I can't do any of this. This is just… For show. There hasn't been danger or conflict in like 30 years." Ming turned to face the door and decided he'd wait for Kai outside. He suddenly felt like a thousand eyes were watching him. As he walked to the doors, they slammed shut. He ran up to it and tried to pry it open. "Damn it! I can't air bend!" He ignored the fact that he was kind of excited about the possibility that he could air bend. He turned around to see if there was another way out and noticed that the eyes of all the Avatar statutes were glowing.

"What… What did I say wrong? Did I offend anyone?" What was he doing? Talking to the statutes? He ran up to Avatar Korra's statute, "I'll stay. Okay? Just let me out." Avatar Aang's statute began to glow. Ming moved to stand in front of it and a light flashed, blinding him.

After a few moments, his eyes adjusted. He was in a valley. _What's going on?_

"Hey! Over here!" Ming looked over to see a young air bender jumping up and down and waving his glider staff, motioning for Ming. Ming looked around to see if the little air bender was talking to someone else. "No, you silly!" The little monk twirled around and made an air scooter headed for Ming. "There's no one else here, I made sure. I wanted to talk to you."

Ming stared down at the small monk with big, grey eyes. "You wanted to talk to me?"

The monk fell off his air scooter in laughter, "Wow, for an earth bender you're not as sharp as I'd thought you'd be. Come on! I'll race you to the river!" The monk pulled out his glider staff and started making his way to the river. Ming ran after him, watching as the playful monk laughed. "Come on! You can do better than that!" The monk teased and flew faster.

They both reached the river at the same time. "That was fun! We should do it again, sometime, when you're feeling better."

Ming took off his shoes, and put his feet in the water. "How do you know I'm not feeling good?"

"Because I'm you."

Ming turned his head to take a good look at the little monk who sat next to him and put his feet in the water too. "But, you're just a kid."

"Yeah… I know. But that didn't stop me from doing what I had to do to save the world."

Ming tried not to smile. This kid was a little on the dramatic side.

The monk sensed Ming's skepticism. "I'm Avatar Aang, duh!" The monk said in frustration, flinging his arms in the air.

Ming froze. Where was he? How was he talking to a dead a person? Is he dead, too? "Am I… Dead?"

Avatar Aang fell back and laughed, kicking his feet in the water. "No! I wanted to talk to you. You and I started our paths in a somewhat similar way. I thought maybe if we talked, I could help you feel better."

Ming fell silent. He had heard many tales of Avatar Aang's adventures. He was a young boy who lost his entire culture and people and, at a young age, had to fight the most powerful warlord in order to restore peace to a world that was devoured by unrest and violence by the Fire Nation. If anyone had something to complain about being an Avatar, it was this little guy.

"Avatar Aang, I know I don't have a right to complain. But, I just want to be normal. I don't want all this extra stuff. Being an Avatar means I have to give up being who I was."

Aang looked up at Ming, "I know, Ming. Every Avatar has had to struggle with the very pain you're feeling now. On top of that, we also had fears that would sometimes cloud our judgment."

Ming finally relaxed. Avatar Aang knew exactly where he was coming from. "Avatar Korra keeps warning me about this loss that I have to suffer."

"Let me guess, you're afraid that if you accept your fate as the Avatar, you're also accepting the fact that you're going to have to suffer this loss?" Ming nodded. "It comes with the territory. I was afraid of many things when I was an Avatar. I was afraid of losing my friends, I was afraid that I had to take a life in order to save the world, I was afraid of the decisions I made in creating Republic City."

Ming listened intently. He stared down at the little monk who, in his small stature, saved the entire world when it was at its worst. "How'd you do it?"

Aang laughed, "Do what?"

"Save the world."

Aang stopped laughing and said in a soft voice, "My friends." Ming leaned back on his hands as his feet enjoyed the cool water. He let his head fall back over his shoulders and stared up at the sky. _Weird, there's no sun or moon but it's sunny_. "Ming, don't let the fear of loss stop you from fulfilling your destiny. If I had let my fears stop me, you'd be wearing a fire nation outfit right now. It's not easy, it never will be. But don't feel alone. I'm here. You can always race me to this river."

Ming turned his head to face Aang and flashed him a smile. Aang gave him a grin from ear to ear. "I was once angry. I didn't want to accept my destiny. But the harder I tried to reject my fate, the more I hurt those that I cared about. Don't do what I did. By accepting your fate as Avatar, you'll have the strength to face any loss, any challenge. Take it from me!"

They both laughed together and Ming closed his eyes, enjoying the warm sun on his face. With his eyes still closed, Ming asked, "Avatar Aang, when I want to come see you again, how can I find you?"

"MING! MING! OPEN THE DOOR! ARE YOU EVEN IN THERE?!" Kai shouted.

Ming flew his eyes open and realized he was sitting in front of Avatar Aang's statute in Air Temple Island. Did he even leave the room? How'd he talk to Aang?

"MING! I CAN'T—" The doors opened on their own and Ming pulled himself off the floor. "What did you do? Was it an Avatar thing?" Kai asked with excitement twinkling in his eyes.

Ming smiled, looking at the statute of Avatar Aang, much older than the playful little monk he had just spoken to, "Yeah, something like that."

"That is so cool! What did he tell you? I never met Avatar Aang but I've heard a lot of cool legends about him."

"I couldn't explain it to you even if I tried." Ming sheepishly said. He didn't want to explain to Kai the dreams he's had with Avatar Korra and his crippling fear about this impending inevitable loss.

"Gotcha. Okay, well let me show you where we do a lot of our training for new air benders. That's you!" Kai said as he led Ming out the room.

Once Ming reached the door he turned around to look back at Aang's statue. He couldn't explain this feeling that overwhelmed him. Determination? Motivation? Avatar Aang was right, he can't face this impending loss without accepting his fate. It was time Ming realized who he was meant to be, the Avatar.

 _Lotus Tea Shop_

"Would you like some more miss?"

Kyra looked up at the waitress, patiently smiling down at Kyra. "Yes please. This is almost as good as the one in the Earth Kingdom." Kyra said as she watched the waitress pour her a new hot cup of tea.

"Oh yeah, the owner has a tea store in every kingdom now. He wanted to continue the legend and honor that General Iroh established when he and his nephew first opened their store in the Earth Kingdom."

"Huh, very cool." Kyra smiled back at the waitress and returned to poking her mango and berries that she was enjoying with her tea. She couldn't help shake the sad feeling she had when she saw the way Ming reacted to Akari. Yes, Akari was beautiful and she seemed sweet on their short trip over here, but she wished Ming reacted the same way about her. Maybe if she had a makeover…

"Hey, do you mind if I have a seat here with you? All the other tables are full." Kyra looked up and saw a tall figure standing over the table. He had a mischievous half-grin, and his bright blue eyes sparkled with a roguish air. Kyra looked around the shop to find it completely empty but for an elderly couple in the back of the shop silently sipping their tea.

"But there's plenty of—"

"Great thanks!" The man said as he grunted to sit down, as if he had just finished a long, hard day at work. "Man, am I lucky I found you. I was wanting to have tea and as I was walking past this place, here you were! Berries and all!" He picked up a berry from her plate and popped it into his mouth. He spoke to her as if they've known each other all their lives. Did she?

Kyra began to stumble for once, "I'm sorry. I think you're mistaking me for the wrong girl. I don't think we've met."

The man leaned forward, his eyes flashing as he intently stared at Kyra, inspecting her face. He took his time, enjoying himself as Kyra got visibly uncomfortable from his scrutiny. He smiled, "You're right, the girl I'm looking for has a birth mark above her lip on the left side, not the right."

Kyra unconsciously put her hand over the birth mark, "Look it, I'm no picture. You just can't stare at me like- Like, I don't know, I'm some piece of—"

"Oh! A mango!" The man said grabbing that as well from her plate.

"Hey! Are you gonna pay for the food you're stealing?" Kyra was beginning to feel her blood boil. Who did he think he was, gawking at her and stealing her food?

The man leaned back in his chair, making his chair tip on its back two legs. He put his hands behind his head and seemed as relax as he possibly could. He never let his gaze leave her. "What if I told you I've been hungry for days. That I had an opportunity to feast but I found out that there were people who needed it more than me. I gave them my food and went hungry." His body language said he was relaxed, but everything from his face, to his eyes, and his tone seemed harsh and serious but only for a brief moment.

Kyra's blood began to cool a little. She was feeling bad. She should have noticed. His clothes didn't match. They seemed to be patched up and a collection of several clothes— maybe clothes he picked up as he found them. His hair was thick and a mess, some of his hair fell below his eyes and over his ears. He looked like he may have cut it himself on occasion. His hands were dirty, probably from labor he was doing all day. Kyra felt guilty, he clearly was hungry. As tall as he was, he was also quite skinny. Not like the broad frame on Min—

The man began snapping his fingers, "Hey miss, I know my devilishly good looks can sometimes be mesmerizing but I need you to stay with me." The man watched as Kyra moved the plate of fruit in front of him. No one, not one, had ever made such a good faith gesture like that to him. He suddenly felt so guilty for doing what he planned to do. "You're not from here, are you?" He asked as he began scarfing down the fruit.

"Would you like a cup, sir?" The waitress asked the man.

"I am at a tea shop. The only thing missing is tea." The man said between bites.

"How'd you figure I'm not from here?" Kyra asked as she watched the waitress pour a cup for the man.

The man stopped eating and looked at her, "You're too nice. You just gave me your plate of food."

She looked right back at him and noticed a glimmer of pain and sadness in his eyes. For a man who looks so at ease, he seems to be hiding a lot of pain. Akira poked her head into the tea shop, "Hey Kyra, I'm ready to head out. Wanna come back with me? We need to get ready for tonight."

"She's good, I'll take her home." The man said without breaking his gaze from Kyra.

Akira began moving her eyebrows up and down, as if to say she approved of Kyra's anonymous encounter. She gave Kyra the thumbs up and walked out back onto the street. "You don't even know where I'm going." Kyra said while shifting shyly in her seat.

The man went back to eating. "Waitress, more of this stuff please." He shouted as he motioned to his near empty plate. "I don't care where you're going. I'd like to take you."

Kyra began to feel uncomfortable. _Is he? Is he flirting with me?_ She squirmed in her chair and took a sip of her tea. She felt less upset about Ming's behavior from earlier now that she felt that this mystery man was hitting on her. "What?" The man said dropping a few berries from his mouth.

Kyra laughed and moved a napkin in front of him, "You never learned to chew with your mouth closed, huh?"

"Why should I? I love the sound of chewing food. It doesn't happen very often!" Kyra knew he was joking but she felt a hint of truth behind it.

"Sorry miss, the shop is closing early today for the welcome parade." The waitress said as she handed the man another plate of fruit. "We will be closing our shop in 5 minutes."

"Who's the welcome parade for?" Kyra asked, already sensing she knew the answer to the question.

The waitress proudly announced, "The new avatar will be revealed at the parade! Everyone is closing their shop to get a good look at who it might be!" Kyra suddenly felt anxiety. Didn't Kai say dinner? Where did the parade come in?!

"Done!" The man announced as he shoved the now-empty plate of food back to the waitress, who looked on in shock. "Check please!"

The waitress scurried off and came back with the check. She handed the man the check. "Uh-huh. Yep. I see here the mango… the berries… yes…. Oh, the tea. Uh-huh… Looks good to me." The man then handed the check to Kyra.

"Are you serious? You ate all the food and drank tea. The least you could do is pay for the food currently digesting in your stomach."

The man leaned back in his chair and threw his hands back behind his head. "Yeah, but you owe me. Remember?"

Kyra's jaw dropped. She thought she recognized those blue eyes. She watched as his grin grew larger and larger as her eyes grew wider and wider. Kyra stood up and jumped over the table. She landed square on the man. They both fell back onto the floor with Kyra on top and steam began to blow through her nostrils. "I should've known better than to trust a—"

"I'll give you two a moment." The waitress scurried off and hid behind swinging doors in the back where the other staff curiously looked on from a safe distance.

"Is it starting to get hot in here, or is it this chemistry between us?" The man tried to pry her hands off his clothes but her hands were too hot.

"Quiet! You made me believe you liked me so you can what? Get a free plate of fruit and some tea? AFTER you already tried to steal food from me once?" Her eyes opened even wider. "That story you told me earlier about giving your food to people who really needed—"

"Hey, what can I say? I'm a nice guy. You and your friend looked hungry." The man was beginning to lose his cool as the heat from her hands began to make him break a serious sweat. "Look, let me explain. I was just walking past. I saw you alone. I wanted—"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't roast you." Her hands became alight with a ball of fire.

"Miss! Please no!" The manager of the shop, a small, stout nervous man ran out with a pail of water. "We can't afford another mishap! Take it outside, please!"

Kyra turned around to find the staff and elderly couple silently looking on. The elder man with his wife continued to sip his tea as if undisturbed. She instantly felt embarrassed. So what if this jerk took advantage of her? It's water off her back! She unclenched her fist and let the fire die out. The man heaved a sigh of relief, "Good, because for a second it was starting to feel like a sauna and I can't risk jeopardizing—"

Kyra wound her hand back and slapped the man clear across the cheek. The man looked on in complete shock. He lay completely and utterly still while she watched him, still on top, and noticed his cheek was beginning to quickly turn from pink to red. She reached into her purse and pulled out the last money she had. She stood up and gave the nervous, little man the yuans. "Keep the change." And walked out the store.

After what felt like an eternity, the man finally stood up. "What a woman."

 _Avatar Korra Park_

"Ladies and gentlemen, after a long-awaited return. May I present to you, Avatar Ming!" President Mai Li stepped to the side to let Ming stand beside her as a deafening roar of cheers reverberated throughout the city.

Ming awkwardly stepped forward and found his way next to President Mai Li. He easily towered over her as the top of her hat were a few inches shy from his shoulder length. The President elbowed Ming, "Say something!"

Ming hates public speaking. By public, it means anyone other than his parents and Kyra. Ming waited as the crowd's roars settled down a bit. "Hello Republic City." Before he could complete his sentence, the crowd went into another frenzy, sending cheers loud enough to be heard from miles away. "Um… Yeah. Thank you for having me and Kyra and everyone else here. It means a lot. Thank you for coming out to meet me." As the crowd continued to cheer, Ming looked back to find Kyra.

Kyra motioned with her lips, _My goal is to remain a peacekeeper and maintain peace among the kingdoms._ In his attempt to lip read, Ming instantly remembered the last bit he was supposed to say, "And the goal is to make the kingdoms peaceful again." The crowd fell silent. Kyra face palmed hard enough that she could feel her forehead begin to sting. President Mai Li looked up at Ming just as confused as the rest of the crowd.

President Mai Li leaned forward over the microphones, "The Avatar and I have many things in store for all of you! We have an aggressive defense strategy in place, we plan to implement more routine safety measures to keep you all comfortable, and we plan on cleaning our streets of crime! Thank you Avatar Ming! We hope Republic City will be, what you will soon consider, a second home!" With that conclusion, the crowd cheered and waved their signs of affection for President Mai Li.

Akari walked up behind Ming, "Just smile and wave. Smile and wave." Instantly, Ming began to wave. "Keep doing that until I tell you not to." Ming nodded his head, while maintaining his fake smile and awkward wave.

President Mai Li turned to face Akari, Kyra, and Kai, "Please, join me inside for a fabulous feast! All the nobles throughout all the kingdoms are here as well as the Council members of Republic City."

All the others walked in with President Mai Li; however, Ming pulled Kyra's arm to the back of the group so as not to be heard by the others, "On a scale of 1-10, how bad was it?"

"A 12."

"What? I thought it was horrible!"

"Wait… What is a 1, good or bad?"

"Catastrophically bad."

"Oh, then -2."

"What? It wasn't that horrible!"

"I mean… It was bad, Ming…"

Ming slapped his face with his hands, covering them. He let out a loud, long moan. "What am I doing here?"

Kyra put a hand on his arm, "To find the answers. Remember?" Ming removed his hands from his face and looked down at Kyra. "Come on, Ming, they're all waiting for you." The two walked inside to a beautifully decorated ball room made out of a tent pitched in the middle of the park. Everything was donned in gold and the inside of the tent shimmered. The tent on the outside deceived the extravagance and opulence on the inside. Kyra and Ming found Akari, "Hey Ming, this is your chance to schmooze a little. Can I introduce you to a few of the Council members?" Ming looked at Kyra and she nudged him towards Akari's direction. "Go block head, it's your duty." With that, Ming and Akari disappeared into the crowd.

There were several waiters walking with trays filled with delicious appetizers. Kyra turned to pick one from a tray when she felt a cold, hard pressure on her lower back. "Move and I'll shoot." Kyra froze. For a second, she entertained the idea that this could be a joke. In a low and calm manner, the voice ordered, "You are going to walk with me to that exit on the right. You are going to walk without alerting anyone that there is any trouble. You do anything other than act normal. You die. Nod if you understand." Kyra hesitated. What should she do? Is this seriously happening? Is this just a practical joke gone too far? She suddenly felt the pressure of the cold, hard steel become stronger on her back. In response, Kyra nodded.

"Good. Now walk." Kyra began to walk. "Slowly… I don't need you sprinting across the room." When they reached the exit, Kyra felt a sharp pain on the top of her head and then suddenly, the sound of her head hitting the damp floor. Kyra's eyes shut closed as she fell unconscious.


End file.
